The department just launched a wellness app for its more than 90 employees, focused on mental and behavioral health.
BROWNSBURG, Ind. — Brownsburg firefighter Jason Stumm, in the industry for more than 20 years, says every day is unpredictable.
“Sometimes there are days, weeks and months where you go out for a run and it’s not really stressful. It’s a daily event, but then you have that one that runs in the middle of the month that you remember. There is never one that is the same,” said Stumm. “At the end of the day, someone’s life is at stake and you are trying to help them.”
(Note: The attached video is a report on the problems paramedics face when area hospitals are on “bypass.”)
Firefighters like Stumm are constantly facing new challenges and, like many industries, are also dealing with change and the stress of the pandemic.
At the beginning of this year, 13Noticias spoke with two Brownsburg paramedics experiencing the same fatigue.
“We’ve all gotten to the point where we’re so burned out and tired, and it’s really hard because we’re still trying to take care of people,” said Ashli LaLond, a paramedic with the Brownsburg Fire Territory.
“We’re exhausted. I mean, we are. We’re exhausted. We’re doing more with less,” said Jessica Hudson, another Brownsburg paramedic.
That’s why the department just launched a wellness app for its more than 90 employees through a partnership with Cordico. It provides them with physical, mental and behavioral health resources that are confidential.
Danny Brock, health and safety officer for the Brownsburg Territory Fire Department, said it allows employees to have 24/7 access to help at their fingertips.
“In each building we have the EAP number and all our resources. Not everyone knows that they should go looking there, no matter how many times you train them, because when they’re having that moment, they don’t want to think about training. They want the answer now, and in a world where everything has to be at their fingertips and immediate, we want to provide that,” said Brock.
The app addresses topics such as suicide risk reduction, behavioral health tools, insomnia, anger management, cancer education, chaplain support, PEER support contacts, 24-hour critical incident contact number, 7 days a week, fitness and many more topics.
“Those are the things that pay for the app immediately if used only once,” Brock said. “There is no price for that.”
Brownsburg is the first fire department in the state to offer the app to its employees.
“It covers everything, not only mental health, but also nutrition, physical health, financial health, and also takes care of the family,” Brock said.
The department hopes the app will spark more conversation and support among first responders facing the challenges of the demanding job.
“No race ever gets easier. It does not matter. People can say that, but it is not so. You have to learn to talk to people. Even if it’s just your crewmates or someone close. You have to talk about things,” Stumm said.
